


Changing Destiny

by Tigerlily89



Category: Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess
Genre: Action & Romance, Eventual Romance, F/M, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:55:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26614834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tigerlily89/pseuds/Tigerlily89
Summary: A crossover with Hercules. Hercules gets a chance to live happily ever after with Serena. The catch, he needs to get Xena and Ares back together and prevent the Twilight of the Gods from happening! (rewrite and re-post from FF) Hercules/Serena, Xena/Ares, Gabrielle/Joxer
Relationships: Aphrodite/Hephaestus, Ares/Xena, Gabrielle/Joxer
Comments: 10
Kudos: 16





	1. The Beginning

Author's note: I do not own Xena or Hercules. If I did, Xena and Ares would be together, Serena would never have died… Joxer would've gotten Gabrielle in the end rather than being killed… Things like that. Too bad…

* * *

Hercules and Aphrodite cautiously made their way into the Cabiri's temple. They both knew that this was their only chance to save Triton, and incidentally the world. Hercules started knocking over pillars to get the spirit's attention.

"Why have you come here?" boomed the voice of the Cabiri.

"We've come to ask that you make Triton a new trident," Hercules answered.

"Why should I do such a thing? What is in this for you hero?" the Cabiri asked.

"Nothing, only that the fate of the world rests on this," Hercules replied.

"But the mortal woman who came here with you, in another time she was your wife. If you return with the trident she will have her husband back. If not, you could have her as your own again," the Cabiri said.

"I made a deal with fate. My heart for her life," Hercules said, his voice betraying the overwhelming despair he still felt from losing her.

"You have always put others before your own happiness, son of Zeus. For this reason, I have decided not to grant your request. I will not make another trident," the spirit started.

"But if Triton dies the seas will die, and with them, the rest of the world!" Hercules exclaimed, horrified.

"You misunderstand son of Zeus. I will not create another trident, because there will be no need to. I have decided to turn back the sands of time. To reward you for risking your life and sacrificing your heart to save this world time and time again. When you leave here you will wake, as if from a dream. You will find yourself back home in Ceryneia, with Serena as your wife," the Cabiri said.

"You're sending me back to my honeymoon?" Hercules asked suspiciously. "And what do you get out of this?"

"You are right to be suspicious, you must do one thing for me if I am to let this be," the Cabiri said approvingly.

"What exactly do you want me to do?" Hercules asked.

"I want you right a wrong you committed without knowing. You changed the destiny of this world and set into motion the Twilight of the Gods," the Cabiri said.

"How did I do that? How can a mortal man set into motion the time when mortals no longer need the gods?" Hercules asked.

"You are not a mere mortal man; you are a son of Zeus. Your choices can change the path of Destiny. You turned the future queen of the gods against her king," the Cabiri told him. "You were only meant to help her realize that she was spiraling down the wrong path, not turn her against the man she loved!"

"Xena and Ares are meant to rule the gods!?"Aphrodite exclaimed, making Hercules start in surprise as he had forgotten she was even there.

"Yes, they balance each other. Without her he would become one of the evilest beings in the cosmos, only then would he take Zeus' throne. By that time, it would be too late to save the gods. All the gods would fall, but for Aphrodite and Ares. Ares would survive due to the love for Xena that is rooted so deeply within his heart that even death could not end it. Because of this love he would turn against the gods and help her destroy those who would harm her child to save their own lives. And you Aphrodite would stand by and watch as Xena killed Hephaestus, knowing that you could do nothing. You would die inside that day yet accept that she was right in doing so. To kill a child to save oneself is the blackest of deeds." the Cabiri explained.

"There has to be a way to prevent that future!" Aphrodite cried, tears filling her eyes.

"There is a way. Turning back the sands of time can change this, but only if our young hero agrees to help mend what he has broken,"

"You mean turn Xena back to her dark side? No way in Tartarus!" Hercules exclaimed, his face a picture of righteous fury.

"No, reuniting the god of war and his chosen will not turn her back into her former self; he wasn't the cause of that in the first place. As I said before, they balance each other out. He brings out the fire and passion within her, and she brings out the goodness and love in him. If you truly wish to save this world, you will agree to do this. If not for the world, then for your sister. Save her the pain of watching her husband die, the way you watched Deianeira and Serena die," the Cabiri said.

Hercules was silent for a moment. His eyes locked with his sister's and saw the pain in them. He wouldn't, _couldn’t_ , allow her to feel that pain if he could help it. Even if sparing her that pain meant that he would need to make nice with his brother.

"I'll do it," he said.

"Tell no one of this Hercules. The world must not know that it has been changed. The two of you, and Ares, shall be the only ones who will remember the separate strands of time. Only he can know all of what I have told you. His knowledge of this world might be the only way to fix his broken relationship. You may tell Xena and Gabrielle, as well as Iolaus and Serena, only what is necessary to gain their cooperation. You have a chance to change many things, save many lives that you were unable to save before. Above all, you must reunite Ares and Xena." the Cabiri said.

"Agreed," Hercules said.

"Won't tell a soul," Aphrodite said.

"It is done," the Cabiri boomed, and everything went black.


	2. Explaining and Planning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aphrodite and Hercules explain things to Ares and the trio start planning how to save the world.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hercules or Xena. If I did, something like this would have ACTUALLY happened in the show. ;-)

* * *

Hercules opened his eyes sleepily, yawning as he sat up. He looked around, trying to remember where he was. Everything looked familiar, if he hadn’t known better he would think he was by the lake in Ceryneia, but how could that be? The last thing he remembered was going with Aphrodite to see the Cabiri in order to save Triton... Suddenly he remembered everything that had happened in that temple. He leapt to his feet and looked around himself in shock. He was _back_ , not just in Ceryneia, but back in _time_!

"Hercules, can you believe it! The Cabiri really sent us back!" Aphrodite exclaimed, appearing in a shower of pink sparkles and throwing her arms around him in a hug.

"Yeah, we're back, but we still need to make sure that things are different this time around!” Hercules said, hugging her back for a moment before pulling away. “We need to stop Strife from killing Serena, and we need to get Ares and Xena back together somehow," he said.

"Oh, Ares!" Aphrodite exclaimed. "We need to talk to Ares, right away! Before he and Strife start planning to drive you crazy! He was really upset about losing Serena. He went **berserk** when Strife killed her!"

Before Hercules could reply there was a rustling in the bushes and a blond head appeared through a break in the foliage.

"Herc, there you are! I've been looking everywhere for you. Serena's waiting for you to get home before starting dinner, are you coming?" Iolaus asked, making his way over to them through the trees.

Hercules felt his voice catch in his throat and his eyes burn as he saw a familiar pendant bounce against his friend’s chest. _Iolaus_! His mind had been so consumed with Serena and Ares and Xena that he hadn’t even stopped to think about Iolaus! He was unprepared to see his best friend _alive!_

"Sorry sweet cheeks," Aphrodite cut in before Hercules found his voice. "Herc and I need to go see Ares, it's important, and it has to do with his powers. We were summoned, so we can't really ignore it. Tell Serena we'll catch up with you later." With that, the goddess grabbed a hold of Hercules' arm and disappeared.

They reappeared in Ares' temple.

"Thanks, Dite, it was just a bit of a shock to see him. You know, alive," Hercules said with a half-smile.

"Hercules, Aphrodite! So nice to see you! I don't suppose _you_ can explain why time seems to have reversed itself," Ares said, appearing in a flash of blue light. "Because when I asked dear old dad, he seemed to think I'd gone insane."

"That's because he doesn't know. No one does, except for the three of us," Aphrodite said, sitting down on a divan that appeared in a flash of pink.

"Uh-huh, and why exactly do just the three of us know?" Ares asked.

"Because that's the way the Cabiri wants it. It turned back time, to save the future of our world. Seems I screwed it up pretty bad without knowing it," Hercules said, leaning against a pillar.

"Yeah, and how'd you do that? Seems to me that everyone thinks you're the perfect hero. Dad, Serena, even _Xena_ ," Ares said, lounging back in his throne. For the first time Hercules noted the sadness that hid beneath the anger in his brother's tone when speaking about how Hercules had taken Xena away from him.

"The fact that Xena thinks I'm the perfect hero is exactly what I did wrong. I was destined to save her but I let my own feelings get in the way. I was so bitter about losing Deianeira that I let it cloud my thoughts about everyone on Olympus. I was so secure in my ritgeous belief that all you wanted from her was to make her into a weapon. I was supposed to save her from _herself!_ Save her from allowing the darkness in her heart to consume her. Instead I set her on the path of the light while convincing her that you were the source of her darkness, " Hercules explained, his brow furrowed as he finally voiced what he hadn't let himself understand before. "The darkness was always inside her, she just needed to fight it."

"Yeah, he was supposed to save her, so that she could take her rightful place by your side as the queen of the gods," Aphrodite said nonchalantly, eating a few grapes from the bowl she'd conjured.

"Wait, what?! " Ares exclaimed, sitting up straight. His eyes were wide in his face. _Hercules_ was here in his temple admitting he was wrong in separating him from Xena, and now Aphrodite was declaring him the future king of the gods?! He had the strange urge to pinch himself, as if that would wake him from this bizarre hallucination.

"You heard her right. You're destined to overthrow Zeus and become King of the gods," Hercules said, as if it were nothing.

"And what's a king without a queen?" Aphrodite said with a laugh.

"Wait, so you two expect me to believe that you're going to help me win Xena back so that the two of us can take over Olympus?" Ares asked, his tone suspicious. "What do you get out of it?"

"Well, if everything works out, the Twilight of the Gods will never come to pass, and I'll never have to watch helplessly as Xena kills Hephaestus,“ Aphrodite said, looking away to hide the tears that had sprung to her eyes.

"And you? What do you get out of it?" Ares asked, looking pointedly at Hercules.

"I get your word that you won't kill Serena again, so we'll have a chance to live our lives together," Hercules said, his voice hard.

Ares took a deep breath and realized that this was actually happening. Zeus' golden child was standing here willing to help him become the king of the gods, with Xena at his side as queen. "Look, I never wanted her to die in the first place." he started. "I wanted her to leave you and come back to be my Hind again. I genuinely cared about her. That's why I was willing to let her live as a human after you used the Kronos stone to change things the first time. Strife was out of line, and he was severely punished after the fact. There was nothing I could do before you changed it; she was already dead by the time I found out. You have my word that I'll not let the same thing happen twice," Ares stood and offered his arm to his half-brother.

Hercules stepped forward and they clasped arms like old friends. "I'm starting to understand that we have _both_ make mistakes. Maybe we could try to get along from now on," he said, laughing lightly.

"Yeah, but if we're going to get through this, you can't be just a mortal man," Ares said, and with those words, a shock of light ran down his arm and up Hercules'

"How? I thought I couldn't have my powers, by order of the gods," Hercules said, truly shocked that Ares of all people would give him his strength back.

"Well, that was before they knew I was going to turn Serena mortal. Technically only one of you needs to be completely mortal. I believe that the other gods would rather she be mortal than you," Ares explained. "You are, after all, Zeus' golden child." The last part was said with a slightly bitter tone.

"Thank you, Ares, with my strength back I'll be able to protect Serena this time," Hercules said, his voice grateful and warm.

"Yeah, and he'll be his old self again, ready and raring to help you take on Olympus when the time comes! Speaking of which, I think we should get started on winning Xena back ASAP," Aphrodite said with a smile. "Then I can go and win Hephie over, seeing as in this time, he doesn't know how I feel yet."

The trio decided that they would tell anyone who needed to know that a powerful oracle had shown them the future. Finally, after hashing out a brought plan of action they decided that it was time to go their separate ways for now.

"Dite, you go on and talk to Hephaestus, I have an idea on how Ares can approach Xena," Hercules said with a smile.

"Alright, later!" Aphrodite said, disappearing in a shower of pink sparkles.

"Okay, so what's this master plan of yours?" Ares asked, quirking a brow at his brother.

"Well, Xena and Gabrielle would want to know that I've gotten married again, right? And, seeing as I'm on my honeymoon, I can't very well go and tell them myself. But I _could_ send someone to tell them. Someone who could be there and back with them in, say, a flash of blue light?" Hercules said, raising an eyebrow back at him.

"That _would_ be brilliant, except for the fact that Xena would never, _in a million years_ , believe that you sent me to get them," Ares said, laughing at the absurdity.

"Here," Hercules said, grabbing a blank scroll and a quill from a nearby table. He scribbled a note and signed it, before handing it to the war god. "Take this and they'll believe you. Just remember, you gave me permission to marry Serena, and the two of us are getting along a lot better now. You could even say that we've become almost friends. Which would mean that when they're here, we'll have to act like it."

"This just might work, I'll be back with them by tonight, have Serena cook up a nice dinner, she loves to cook. And she'll be happy to see Xena again," Ares said, preparing to disappear.

"Wait, you should bring Solan too. It's about time Xena told him the truth, and we both know what happened last time," Hercules said.

"Yes, but this time, I'm not going to make that stupid deal with Dahak. So Solan won't die, and Xena and Gabrielle will never try to kill each other," Ares said.

"Yeah, but Solan is still in danger. Someone will find out who his mother is eventually, and use him to get to her. Then it's only a matter of time before they realize that they can use her to get to _you,"_ It would be best if you convinced her that he needed to leave the centaur village. Tell her a bit about Dahak, make her believe that her son would be safer if she brought him to Ceryneia. That way he'd be under the protection of the both of us, and have time to get to know his mother," Hercules said.

"I'll bring it up, but I'm not so sure she'll go with it. I'll see you around," Ares said, sending him a mocking salute.

"Hey, could you at least bring me back to Ceryneia? It's a two-day walk from this temple," Hercules called out before Ares could fully disappear.

Ares laughed, he wouldn't admit it, but he really had forgotten that Hercules was essentially stranded there. "Yeah, come on," he said, grabbing his half-brother’s arm. The two sons of Zeus disappeared in a flash of blue light.


	3. Convincing Xena

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ares has his work cut out for him convincing Xena to not only go with him, but to take her son Solan along as well.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hercules or Xena… If I did, Serena wouldn't have died, and Xena would've been with Ares in the end….

* * *

"Gabrielle, behind you!" Xena called out as she flipped over one of their attackers.

The bard spun around just in time to block a blow with her staff. "Thanks," she said breathlessly as she sat down, but Xena didn't relax. She still felt as if there were someone out there.

Suddenly another soldier dropped down from a tree right above Gabrielle, his dagger aimed for her back. Xena cried out, but she was too far away to help her. Gabrielle screamed, but the man stopped in midair.

Gabrielle scrambled away from the blade, looking up at the frozen man in shock.

"Let me down! What are you? Some kind of witch?" the man exclaimed.

"No, but she is an Amazon princess, and I doubt very much that the goddess Artemis would appreciate her being killed," Ares said, appearing from thin air.

"My Lord Ares," the man cried, bowing his head as much as he was able. "I didn't know she was an Amazon! These women freed our prisoners. The punishment for that is death."

Ares glared at the man furiously and he let out a whimper. "My army does not take women and children as prisoners Galen. We take men who fight against us, not helpless innocents. Xena knows that, so be sure that she was under no illusions that freeing them would bring the wrath of a god upon her," he said coldly.

The man continued to whimper. "I'm sorry milord, please, have mercy," he blubbered.

"Have mercy on a mere mortal who cannot follow simple orders?" Ares asked, his tone as cold as ice. "Give me one good reason I should spare your life! You have not only disobeyed me, but you have attempted to kill two people I ordered to remain unharmed!" he boomed, raising his arm to strike.

"No!" Gabrielle cried on impulse, never expecting the god to listen. Ares stopped with his arm still in the air; this man wasn't worth losing Xena over. He released the power holding the pathetically whimpering man and he fell to the ground in a heap.

"You are hereby dismissed from my army Galen. It would be wise of you to leave Greece and never return. I will be watching you, and I will not show mercy a second time," Ares practically growled.

The frightened soldier fled, leaving Ares alone with Xena and Gabrielle.

"Why?" the blonde asked, breaking the silence.

"He wasn't worth killing," Ares answered.

"No, why didn't you just let him kill me?" she asked, her tone full of confusion. She just couldn't understand why he would save her. She'd always thought he would welcome her death and use it to try and manipulate Xena again.

Ares turned to her and was surprised at the joy he felt at seeing her alive. She must've grown on him because of her unwavering love for Xena. "He was disobeying my direct order not to harm either Xena or yourself," he said, and then he smirked. "And besides, Herc would kill me if I only came back with Xena and not both of you. I believe your death would put a damper on the good mood he's been in since his wedding."

"What do you mean? Wait, his wedding?" Xena exclaimed.

"Haven't you heard? Hercules married Serena, nearly a fortnight ago," Ares told them.

"I thought he said he'd never love again after what happened to Deianeira," Gabrielle said.

"Wait, Serena, as in the last Golden Hind? The woman who's been your willing slave for years?" Xena asked incredulously.

"The same, but she's mortal now. It was my wedding gift to them so that she can be around people without changing." Ares explained. "And she was never my _slave,_ " he added after a moment.

"There has to be a catch, you would never allow your prized Hind to marry your worst enemy!" Xena exclaimed, suspicious of his motives.

"Well, there was a catch," Ares started to say before being interrupted.

"I knew it!" Gabrielle said, her tone smug.

"The other gods forbid the marriage," Ares continued as if he hadn't heard her. "They thought a child born from a demigod and a golden Hind would be too powerful, and Hercules was ordered to relinquish his powers."

"Hercules has no strength!?" Xena cried, horrified at the thought.

"He still has his strength, that stipulation is one of the reasons I granted her mortality," Ares continued as if he hadn't been interrupted once again.

"What do you mean by that?" Gabrielle asked, confused.

Ares turned to look at her again, making sure to meet her eyes. "If Serena is mortal, then the gods couldn't object to the marriage. Hercules was allowed to marry a mortal woman once before." Suddenly the war god scowled. "Only this time, nothing will happen to his wife. She is under the protection of the God of War, and Zeus himself decreed that if any harm comes to her, I am at leave to treat those who caused her harm as I would those who would harm my chosen."

Xena blanched a bit at that. She knew exactly what Ares, or any god for that matter, was at leave to do to those who caused their chosen harm. She'd seen it firsthand when an errant warlord had gotten her drunk and attempted to rape her, many, many years ago. She shivered. She would hate to be in that position.

"Serena is your chosen?" Gabrielle asked, still confused. Even though no one had specifically told her, she'd always assumed that Xena was his chosen.

"No, but she has been under my protection for many years. I owed it to Hercules to make sure she would be protected when he couldn't be there to do it himself. She's almost like a daughter to me," his tone was softer than Gabrielle had ever heard it.

The women could tell that there was more to the story than that, but at Xena's nearly imperceptible nod, Gabrielle decided to just keep quiet. They could talk about that later.

"So, we're supposed to just, what, believe you when you say that Hercules sent you to get us?" Xena asked, looking at him as if he were an idiot.

"No, Herc sent me with a letter. We both figured that you'd never believe me, or that, even if you did, you would be reluctant to go with me. Especially after you hear what I have to say about Solan."

"What about Solan?" Xena asked sharply.

"He is in danger. Hercules saved the life of a powerful oracle and the oracle gave him a vision of the future. Many horrible things are to come that can be changed, one of those is the death of your son."

Xena glared at Ares. How dare he say such things to her? Her son was perfectly safe with the centaurs. Wasn't he? One look at the war god's face told her that he was telling her the truth. She had always been able to tell when he was lying to her.

"What can we do to stop it?" she asked.

"Hercules and I talked about it and we believe that he would be safer if we brought him to Ceryneia. There, he'd be under the constant watch of either Hercules or me, and he'd be far away from that place of his foretold death. The two of you need to be in Ceryneia as well so that you don't set into motion the events that will lead to your son's death."

"What? Xena and I are the ones who cause her son's death?" Gabrielle asked, horrified. He had to be lying, there was just no way.

"In a roundabout way, yes, but I can't tell you the particulars. Only Hercules, Aphrodite, and I can know everything. If too many people know too much, it could hurt the future, rather than help." Are said

"So, you, Hercules and Aphrodite know the future, and the three of you are supposed to change it?" Xena asked, incredulously.

"I guess you could put it that way. Look, Xena, Hercules wasn't the only one to see the vision. The oracle believed that in order to stop horrible things from happening Hercules would need help. So, Aphrodite and I were allowed to see the future as well. The vision was so real, it was as if we were living it," Ares said, thinking that the closer to the truth he was, the easier it would be to get Xena to believe him. "We all did things that we would regret, that brought us pain, and hurt those we care about the most. The oracle chose the three of us because we had the most to gain by making a better future, and the most to lose if we fail."

Xena felt as if the world were shifting beneath her feet. She knew she shouldn't trust Ares, he was the God of War, but she knew him well enough to know that he was not lying about the things he told her.

"Gabrielle, what do you think? Do you want to go see Hercules and meet his new wife?" she asked.

Gabrielle looked at Xena and then at Ares. She had never trusted the god; she had always felt something when he was around which made her uncomfortable. She was shocked to realize that she didn't feel it now. For the first time in his presence, she felt perfectly safe. Her gut told her to trust him, and to trust that Xena would never agree to go with him unless she believed he was telling them the truth.

"Why not, we haven't seen them in a long time. And I'd love to meet this woman Serena." She said.

"Okay then! We'll stop by the centaur village first and get Solan, and then we'll go and see the newlyweds." Ares said, clapping his hands together.

"Wait, wait. Solan doesn't even know I'm his mother! Yes, he trusts me now, but he doesn't know I'm his mother. How can I just appear and take him away from his home? I don't believe the centaurs will let me anyway. He's one of them now." Xena said.

"Xena, no matter what the centaurs think, Solan is _your_ son. He needs to know that. You need him to know that. You can't pretend forever that you just _knew_ his mother." Gabrielle told her.

Xena knew that Gabrielle was right, but she didn't know how they were going to convince the centaurs of it.

"Alright, first we get Solan, then we go see Hercules," Xena said, preparing herself.

"Right, now, you each have to hold my hand if we're going to get this done quickly and be in Ceryneia by dinner. Serena is expecting us, she cooked dinner." Ares told them.

"What about Argo?" Xena asked.

Ares waved his hand and Xena's horse disappeared in a flash of blue light. "She's in Hercules' stable. Don't worry, they're expecting her."

"Alright, let's go," Xena said, taking Ares hand in hers. When their hands touched, they both felt a shock and their eyes met.

"I'm ready," Gabrielle said, taking Ares' other hand. Her voice interrupted the moment between the other two and they both looked away.

"Hold on tight," Ares told them, and the three of them disappeared in a flash of blue light.


	4. The Goddess of Love Gets Her Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aphrodite pays a visit to Hephaestus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that "Love Takes a Holiday" happened BEFORE "When A Man Loves a Woman" but for the purpose of this story Hercules married Serena first. The love I have for Hephaestus and Aphrodite's first kiss and my visceral need to include a version of it in this story MAY have also played a part in this decision.... (But shhhhhh) This chapter is where the "T" part of the rating comes in!

Disclaimer: I do not own Hercules or Xena… If I did, Serena wouldn't have died, and Xena would've been with Ares in the end…

* * *

Aphrodite appeared in Hephaestus' forge in a flash of pink light. It looked exactly as it had a few years ago when she'd first visited him to talk about Leandra and her cursed village. ' _Oh darn_ ' she thought. ' _I still need to get him to let the villagers go…_ '

"Who's there?" a stout man called, coming around the corner. "No one is allowed in here without my lord's permission!"

"Oh, gross! You still work here?" Aphrodite said in disgust when she caught sight of the greasy little man that had worked for Hephie back then.

"Of course I still work here! My lord Hephaestus appreciates my opinions, who are you?" the man asked rudely.

"I'm Aphrodite, and I'm here to talk to Hephaestus," Dite said, wrinkling her nose at the little man. She could not for the life of her remember his name…

"Well, my lord does not wish to see anyone. Leave!"

"How dare you!? I'm a goddess, not a mortal woman you can order around! I demand to see Hephaestus, immediately!" she yelled, her voice echoing around the forge.

"Who is it?" came the voice of the god of the forge.

"It is no one my lord!" the man called back, looking at the goddess in disgust.

"I am _not_ no one! I'm Aphrodite! How dare you treat me like this! Get your hand **OFF** me!" Aphrodite practically screamed the last words as the greasy little man grabbed a hold of her arm and shoved her toward the exit of the forge.

"Release her at once!" Hephaestus boomed, making his way into the room. His voice was full of cold fury and the greasy little toad cowered in the face of it.

"I apologize, my lord, she refused to leave!" the man whimpered, bowing his head yet still refusing to release Aphrodite's arm.

"Aphrodite is welcome here whenever she wishes, now go make use of yourself elsewhere!"

The cretin dropped her arm as if it were diseased and scurried off, glaring at the goddess of love as he went.

The two gods stood there in silence for a moment, neither knowing what to say. Finally, Hephaestus broke the silence.

"Wh-what brings the goddess of love to my forge? Are you in need of something?" he asked, his eyes raking over her face as if trying to commit every detail to memory.

Aphrodite blushed prettily at his scrutiny. She couldn't think of what to say to him at this moment. She ached to reach for him but she knew that if she went about this wrong he wouldn't trust her feelings. He was so insecure about his looks and she didn't want to rely on her knowledge of the future for this, to him, the first overture. She drank in the sight of him, feeling as if she hadn't seen him in forever, as her brain scrambled to come up with a reason for being here. Wait! Leandra!

"Um, well, you know how I'm good friends with Hercules and his little friend Iolaus, right?" she said, her voice bubbly.

"Well, yes, Hercules is your brother. I'd imagine that you might be close. What does that have to do with why you are here?" Hephaestus asked her, thoroughly confused at this line of conversation.

"Well, I was trying to help sweet cheeks find any family he might have. He's been curious about his real family ever since his father died. His father was adopted by a nice couple when they found him wandering around by that river that runs along the edge of your volcano. He was very young at the time and so he only remembered his real mother's name, nothing else. Her name was Leandra. After talking to him about it, in the Elysian Fields of course, I remembered that there used to be a quiet little village right by that same river. I came to ask you if you might know what happened to it. It seems like it just disappeared one day." Aphrodite said with a smile, twirling a lock of her hair around a finger as she spoke.

Hephaestus was shocked. Here was his goddess, the one being he loved more than anything, asking him about a village he cursed just because a woman wouldn't marry him… How could he tell her that he had cursed an entire village because one woman didn't love him?

"I uh…" he started, wanting to lie and say he knew nothing. But he knew he could never lie to her. He closed his eyes tightly, wishing he'd not been so rash regarding that village. "I, yes, I remember that village. And I remember Leandra. She was, she was to be my bride. When she refused to marry me I cursed her village into non-existence. Time doesn't pass there. It's been cursed for fifty years."

Aphrodite gasped. "Oh, that poor village… So many people... Oh! You'll let them go, won't you?" she asked him, filling her eyes with moisture and blinking wetly up at him.

"Yes, I, yes," he waved his arm, his heart clenching in the face of her disappointment. "They are free," he told her, turning to leave. He stopped when he felt delicate hands latch on to his arm.

"Why Leandra? You could have any mortal woman, why choose her?" she asked him, keeping her grip on his arm.

"Because she reminded me of you. A poor substitute, but as close as I was ever going to get," he said softly, turning to face her again.

Aphrodite pulled him closer, tears in her eyes. Oh, how she loved him. How long he had loved her in silence, never daring to hope that she could love him in return. "How would you know if you never even tried?" she asked him softly, looking into his eyes.

Hephaestus smiled, but it was a bitter smile. "Why would the most beautiful being in the cosmos want someone as ugly as I am?" he asked her, the edge to his voice at odds with the gentle way he brought his hand up to tuck her hair behind her ear.

"Because you are everything a woman could want," Aphrodite said softly, stretching up to kiss him gently.

Hephaestus pulled back. "You don't need to try and make me feel better Aphrodite," he told her, his voice full of deep despair that spoke of his centuries of longing.

Aphrodite smiled a small sad smile. "Oh Hephie, I'm not trying to make you feel better. I love you, you silly god. And now that I know you care about me too; you're stuck with me. Forever."

He unconsciously pulled her closer, unable to stop himself. Her arms came up to rest warmly on his shoulders and he felt his heart pounding with a frantic kind of hope. "Aphrodite…" he rasped, his voice full of violent longing. He wanted so desperately to believe that she truly loved him.

"Just answer me one question, do you love me?" she asked him, moving her body as close to his as possible. She held herself flush against him, filling them both with warmth and desire. 

"For centuries," he answered her, his defenses falling in the face of her earnest words. He dropped his head to rest against hers, his eyes never breaking contact with her own.

"Then love me," she said with a smile full of love and joy.

He hesitated a second before leaning forward and bringing his lips to hers. As soon as their lips met, he let out a sigh and all the tension left his body. He melted into her, finally daring to believe that this was real.

She clung to him, using his shoulders to pull herself impossibly closer, opening herself to him completely.

He deepened the kiss, his entire body on fire, his every wish coming true. Aphrodite was in his arms, everything else could wait.

~*~*~*~

Iagos looked on in horror as the god of the forge and the goddess of love embraced. HE was supposed to be the only one who was in his lord's good graces. He knew that this pink hussy would ruin everything, all his plans gone to Tartarus! He had to do something to split them up!

~*~*~*~

The two gods were oblivious to the man's scheming. They continued to kiss each other with all they had, their passion building. Suddenly Aphrodite moved them to his bedroom in a brilliant flash of pink sparkles. They landed right in the middle of his enormous bed.

"Aphrodite!" the god of the forge gasped.

"Call me Dite!" she said with a grin, before pulling him back down to kiss her.


	5. Solan Learns the Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xena, Gabrielle, and Ares pay a visit to the village where Xena's son Solan has been raised. It's time for Xena to come clean about who Solan's mother really is.

Disclaimer: I do not own Xena or Hercules or any of their friends… Sadly…

* * *

Xena, Ares, and Gabrielle appeared in the forest on the outskirts of the centaur village.

"I'll go and talk to Kaleipus about taking Solan with us. I need to explain that his life is in danger here and that he'd be safer with Hercules." Xena said.

"What exactly are you going to tell him?" Gabrielle asked, sitting down on a fallen log.

"Tell him that the gods have warned you he isn't safe here anymore. I mean, it's not as if that's a lie. Aphrodite and I are both saying he needs to leave here." Ares said, crossing his arms and casually leaning against a nearby tree.

Xena rolled her eyes at him but couldn't deny that his plan was a good one. "Okay. First, I'll talk to Kaleipus, and then I'll explain things to Solan. Gabrielle, I'll need you to keep him busy so that he doesn't overhear anything until I have time to explain what's going on."

"Of course, he likes it when I tell him stories of our travels, so I'll tell him of our latest adventures." Gabrielle agreed.

"What am I supposed to do? Sit here until you're done?" Ares asked sarcastically.

"Just… Go do whatever war-gods do when they're not stalking mortals," Gabrielle said as she walked off towards the village in search of Solan.

"Wow, she's a little touchy…" Ares commented with his patented smirk. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say she didn't like me all that much."

"She doesn't. You've tried to kill us repeatedly in the past couple of years. Why would she like you?" Xena asked, arching a brow at him.

"I haven't been trying to _kill_ you, only sway you back to my side. I may have gone about it the wrong way. Oh well, I've turned over a new leaf! I'm done with manipulation and evil. I'm a good boy now. Just like Hercules." Ares said dramatically, throwing his arms out wide and taking a bow.

"I'll believe that when I see it. I know you Ares, better than anyone. You will never change. You're the God of War. You live for bloodshed and violence and you love it. You will never be the kind of man Hercules is, it's just not in you to fight for the greater good and sacrifice yourself for others." Xena told him before turning and following Gabrielle towards the village. As she walked away she missed the look of pain that crossed the god's face at her words.

"This is going to be harder than I thought, but I'm going to prove to you Xena that I am _not_ the man you let Hercules convince you I am," Ares said to the empty air before disappearing from the clearing in a flash of blue light.

* * *

Xena was greeted by Kaleipus as soon as she entered the village. "Xena, it is good to see you, under happier circumstances than your last visit I hope." The old centaur said, holding his arm out in greeting.

"Kaleipus, it is good to see you, but I'm not here just to visit. There is something important I need to discuss with you." Xena told him, grasping his arm with her own.

The centaur's face became serious. "Let us go inside and talk." He said, turning towards his home.

Xena followed him inside. "Where is Solan?" she asked.

Kaleipus turned to face her, a frown on his face at her serious tone. "Your friend took him to the river to tell him stories of your travels. What is going on Xena?"

"Solan is in danger. Ares, Aphrodite, and Hercules have all seen a vision foretelling his death. Hercules believes he'll only be safe if he's taken away from here and brought to live with him and his wife for protection."

The old centaur shifted uncomfortably. "Are they sure? What will happen to him? Can we stop it?" he asked, his agitation obvious.

"Yes, they're sure. They wouldn't tell me what happens exactly, only that it happens here, in the village. Hercules feels that he would be better protected being watched over by two gods, a demi-god and a god's chosen. As well as being away from here so that whatever happens can't be triggered."

"You want to take him away from his home? His family?" Kaleipus said angrily.

"I want him to **LIVE**! I thought you did too! This has nothing to do you with and me. The only one who matters is Solan, and if he stays here he might die. I don't know about you, but I am _not_ willing to risk that. No matter what you might think, he is my son and I will destroy you before I let your pride get him killed!" Xena said dangerously, her hand twitching towards her Chakram.

Kaleipus took a step back at Xena's savage tone. Her eyes were glinting dangerously and the very air around them seemed charged with power, crackling and sparking with her fury.

"You are right Xena," he told her calmly. "This is not about us. Only Solan's safety matters, I will not stand in your way. But you need to admit who you are before you take him away from the only home he has ever known."

Xena relaxed and the pressure in the air seemed to lighten. "I know that. I need to tell him that I'm his mother. I'm going to find Solan and Gabrielle." She told him before turning and leaving without another word.

Kaleipus watched her go silently. He knew he hadn't imagined the power in the air when she'd gotten angry. There was a power within Xena that hadn't been there before. A power that made him fear her in a way he never had when she had been his enemy. Something about the Warrior Princess had changed since she'd been here last, and the centaur had a feeling it had some connection to the gods. He only hoped that this new fire in her could protect Solan from whatever the gods had foreseen.

* * *

"Xena!" Solan called out when she approached the river.

"Hello, Solan," Xena said with a soft smile, pulling the boy into a hug.

"Gabrielle said that you wanted to tell me something," the boy said, smiling up at her.

Xena's face grew serious and her heart started to pound nervously. "Yes, there is something important that I need to talk to you about. Something I should have told you before," she said, leading him to sit in the grass by the water.

"I'm just gonna go back to the village and leave you guys to talk," Gabrielle said, standing quickly. "I'll see you guys later," without another word she walked off in the direction of the village.

"Is what you need to tell me bad Xena? You and Gabrielle both look so serious." Solan said, his face scrunched up in confusion.

"I don't know exactly how to tell you this… Kaleipus, he uh, he lied to you. When he told you about what happened to your mother. He just, he didn't want you to know who your mother was. He wanted you to believe that she was a lovely, sweet woman who died before you could know her. He never wanted you to know that your mother gave you away, even though it was to protect you from harm. To protect you from people who would hurt you to get to her." Xena said slowly.

"Do you know who my mother is Xena?" Solan asked softly, looking up at her trustingly.

Xena looked at her son. Her eyes flickering all over, drinking in the sight of the beautiful boy she and Borias had created. " _I'm_ your mother Solan. I gave you to Kaleipus to raise, to keep you safe from people like Dagnine. Those who would hurt you to hurt me." she told him, her voice tight and full of anguish.

Solan was quiet for a moment, staring at her, his wide eyes seeming to search hers for the truth. After a moment he seemed to find what he was looking for. "After you came here last time," he started, looking down at his hands, his voice soft and somewhat bashful. "I started to dream about what it would be like if you were my mother. I never _knew_ my mother, but I hoped that she was like you. Now. now I don't have to dream about it because you're here." he looked back up at her, his eyes were shimmering, but there was a smile stretching across his mouth.

Xena smiled back at him, relief coloring her features. "I love you, Solan, so _so_ much. I came here to take you away to live with me. I know you're happy here, but I want to get to know you and to have time with you. I've realized that you aren't any safer here than you would be with me and my friends. I hope that you'll agree to leave with us tonight." she told him, bringing her hand up to cup his cheek.

Solan grinned at her brightly. "Of course, I want to know you, mother. Can we come back to visit sometimes? I'll miss my friends, and my Uncle." he said.

Xena felt a burst of unadulterated joy inside when she heard her son call her 'mother' for the first time. "Yes, of course. Let's go say goodbye to everyone, then we'll go and see Hercules. His wife Serena will have dinner waiting for us."

"Hercules? You know _Hercules_?! That's so cool! Does he live close by? How will we get there before nightfall?" Solan asked, babbling excitedly.

Xena put her arm around his shoulders as they walked back towards the village. "Ares is bringing us to Hercules."

"You're friends with a GOD!?" he yelled out.

Xena laughed and pulled him closer. "I guess you could say that…"


	6. Serena and Iolaus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hercules explains to his wife and best friend that he’s seen the future through a “vision”

Disclaimer: Sadly I don't own any of the characters here...

* * *

After Ares left him at the edge of the village, Hercules sat on a convenient fallen tree to take a moment to breathe. He was _back_! Back to the _first_ time he’d lived through these days. Back to before he had used to Kronos stone to rewrite Serena’s fate. The Cabiri hadn’t just reversed time, she had unraveled and rewoven the separate strands of it.

When Deianeira and their children had been murdered by Hera he’d thought he could never love again. He had sworn to revenge on Hera, honestly on the entirety of Olympus. Aphrodite, his sweet and bubbly sister, had always been the exception to his ire towards the gods. Serena had broken through the wall he built around his heart. Her strength and her compassion had touched him in a part of his heart he thought had died with his family. He didn’t love Deianeira the same way he once had. He would always miss her and wish that he had been allowed to love her and watch their children Aeson, Klonus, and Ilea grow. A part of him wondered why he hadn’t been sent back to before his family had been killed, but a larger part understood why. Hercules needed to be here where Xena was already on the path of the light. His family was happy and safe in the Elysian fields. With Serena by his side, a warrior wife, he could focus on the task the Cabiri had set without worrying about her safety. _His_ Serena. Not the woman he had traveled to the seaside with only yesterday. That Serena hadn’t even known him as anything more than Hercules, Son of Zeus.

Hercules took a deep breath to steady himself. It was time to stop dallying in the woods and face the two people he had missed the most these past few years. He let the breath out slowly and got to his feet. Heart pounding, he started towards the village where Serena and Iolaus were waiting for him.

“Hercules, there you are! Is everything alright!?” Serena asked when he entered their home, leaning up to kiss him in greeting.

Hercules held her close to him and let the kiss linger, savoring the feel of her in his arms. After a moment he pulled away slightly, just enough to see her face. He gazed at her features, drinking in the sight of her, and loving her fiercely. “everything is fine,” he managed to answer her. “Ares and I needed to have a long-overdue conversation, that’s all.”

Serena pulled back slightly, a look of concern overtaking her features. “A conversation about what?” she asked.

“Yeah Herc, what could you possibly have to talk to _Ares_ about?” Iolaus asked from his seat at the table.

Hercules looked over at his friend and his heart clenched again at the knowledge that this was _his_ Iolaus. The first Iolaus, his childhood friend, and companion. Iolaus II was a wonderful man, but he wasn’t Hercules’ best friend. Having Serena in his arms and Iolaus by his side again was nearly overwhelming. He shook away visions of seeing their bodies broken and cold in death, focusing on the two warm and living people in front of him. He released Serena from his embrace and led her to sit at the table across from Iolaus, taking a seat beside her. He started to explain the ‘vision’ he and his siblings had agreed on as a cover story.

“Ares, Aphrodite, and I were shown a vision of the future by a powerful oracle. Events have been set into motion that if left unchanged could decimate the world,” he told them, his voice heavy.

“What kind of things?” Serena asked, clutching at his hand in hers.

“Yeah, and how is _Ares_ supposed to help save the world?” Iolaus added derisively.

“The vision was so real; it was as if we were living it. The three of us are children of Zeus. Each of us is powerful enough to change the future with our choices. We were deemed as those with the most to lose if we fail to change the course of Destiny,” Hercules told them. Visions of Iolaus laying cold and broken, of Serena looking into his eyes without a hint of love or recognition, flooded his mind.

“What could Ares possibly have to lose that would make him willing to work with _you_ to change the future. He _hates_ you!” Iolaus asked skeptically.

“Xena,” Serena said immediately. “He loves her with everything he is. He would slaughter all of Olympus to keep her safe.”

“ ** _Xena_**!?” Iolaus exclaimed. “I don’t think so. Sure, she was a favorite warlord of his, but _love_?” he shook his head.

“No, Serena is right Iolaus,” Hercules said with a deep sigh. “Xena is his Chosen. Few gods give that title away. Ares paid her attention as a favored mortal because of her prowess in battle. He made her his _Chosen_ because he fell in love with her.”

“To attack the Chosen of a god is to attack the god. It’s a crime even among the gods themselves. Zeus himself could not touch her without being punished severely by the Fates.” Serena explained.

Iolaus’ eyes widened, and he sat back in his chair with a thump as his worldview took a drastic turn. “Wow, I never knew. It’s no wonder he hates us, we turned the woman he loves against him,” he said, frankly.

Hercules winced. “We turned his intended _wife_ against him,” he said.

“Xena was supposed to lead a campaign against Rome. When they returned victorious, as they always did under her leadership, there was to be a wedding. Ares was granted permission by Zeus to offer her Ambrosia once she was his wife,” Serena told them. “Xena never appeared to lead the battle and the wedding never took place.”

“Well, I guess that explains the upsurge in war and destruction after she left,” Iolaus said faintly. “He was taking out his anger and grief on the world, with us as the main targets of his fury.”

“Xena was going down a dark path. She needed space to find herself and remember who she was outside of war and vengeance. I was wrong in how I handled things. I was so lost in my anger at the gods that I led her to believe that Ares was corrupting her. Xena has a darkness within her that she needed to face and overcome on her own. Now that she has found the light and is on the right path, she is the perfect balance to Ares. They are both sides of the same coin. Two faces of War, both the light and the dark of it.” Hercules told them.

“So, Ares had Xena to lose, what about you and Aphrodite?” Iolaus asked, fearing the answer.

Hercules clenched his eyes tightly shut for a second before opening them again. “Aphrodite fell in love with and married Hephaestus, whom she watched die in the vision. As for me, well, I lost both of you. You were both killed and I was left alone without my wife or my best friend,” Hercules told them, his voice chocked as a tear ran down his face.

Serena gasped and flung herself into his arms while Iolaus watched sadly. “Oh Hercules!” she cried, holding him close to her. “Fate has been so cruel to you.”

Iolaus nodded at her words. As much as he feared his own death, he also feared the day when his best friend was left alone because his mortal body couldn’t keep pace with a demigod any longer.

The trio sat in thick silence for a few moments before Hercules took a deep breath and pulled back a little from his wife’s embrace. “So, now that everyone knows what’s going on, I should probably tell you that Ares is coming by this evening with Xena, Gabrielle, and Xena’s son Solan. They should be here in time for a late dinner,” he told them. He turned his head toward the window at the sudden sound of a horse neighing. “That’s probably Argo. Iolaus could you help Serena with dinner while I go and see to Xena’s horse?”

“Sure Herc!” Iolaus said, jumping up from the chair and trying to put the heavy conversation behind him. “I’ll scrounge up some more chairs from somewhere and get the plates set out!”

“I’ll make duck, it’s one of Xena’s favorites and I have one waiting to roast in the smokehouse,” Serena said, kissing her husband sweetly before raising from the table herself.

Hercules watched his wife and friend as they started to prepare for their guests, sending a prayer to the fates themselves to please help him keep them safe. With one last lingering look he headed out to the stable to care for Argo.


End file.
